* Music and dance for a healthy community * Music brings us together *

After months of hard work and planning for the Kroonstad Awareness Campaign, it all finally came together into a big parade and a concert at Sasolville Stadium. The main goal of the campaign was to make the Kroonstad Field Band visible and known in the community, and to encourage more children to join. Project Officer (PO) James Mabaso in Kroonstad has been working diligently to make sure everything was in order for the field bands on the big day, handling everything from police presence and EMS personnel to food and water. PO Pholoso Konopi brought many of his field band members all the way from Viljoenskroon to join in the fun as well!

More than 100 people from the community joined the street parade and enjoyed listening to the lively concert. Prominent members of the community were also present to show their support. The principal of Bodibeng Secondary School, Mr. Radebe, has seen the field band rehearse at his school, and spoke highly of the benefits of joining the field band. Even representatives from the Field Band Foundation head office had come all the way from Johannesburg. Sello Ramosepele gave a motivational speech on behalf of the FBF head office, and told the audience about how he came to where he is today because of his experience in the field bands and what the FBF has given him in terms of confidence and opportunities.

* Meaning, mastering & motivation * Support, stability & self-esteem

This Saturday also saw the return of former PULSE participant Siri, who is back to work with Eva and the field bands in the Free State. She jumped straight back into the swing of things, and brought Gira along to introduce her and the PULSE work to everybody at the stadium. Gira was very popular with the kids, and spent most of her time at the stadium making friends with the children who weren’t members of the Field Band Foundation yet.

One of the children we spoke to at the stadium was sitting with Gira for a long time and watching the bands intently. When we asked him if he would like to join the field band he quietly answered yes. Answering why he would like to join was a bit more difficult, but in the end he settled on ”I want to join them, because … they are perfect people.” What a statement for us all to live up to!

* Music for Life * Ask me about the field band * Come and join us!

If you want to hear what some field band members have to say about why children and youth should join the Field Band Foundation, check out this video: Why should children join FBF